Medicine is a dicipline of uncertainty. So clinicians are always looking for indicators of certainty. We’re looking for signs. Medical signs. The psoas sign indicates an inflamed retrocecal appendix. A sentinel node is a classic sign of dissemination of cancer into the chest. The Cheeto finger sign (telltale orange fingers reflecting the recent consumption ... Continue Reading about Medical Signs
The Zone of Medical Uncertainty
Daniel Crook, @EMSafe dropped this in twitter a couple of weeks back: I realise that I have had to learn and do medicine in 7 different ways: What the book says What we actually do What the course says What the College/exam wants What the boss wants What the evidence says What other people will do who don't know the evidence I’ll add this ... Continue Reading about The Zone of Medical Uncertainty
Interrupting Patients for the Right Reasons
Not long ago I entered an exam room and was met by a mother who immediately began talking. From the chaotic feeding to her sequence of formula roulette and the staccato of the baby’s cry, she delivered a near full history of present illness in the span of 45 seconds. And all with one breath. While I was impressed with her delivery, I couldn’t keep up. So I ... Continue Reading about Interrupting Patients for the Right Reasons
Google Always Has a First Page About You
I remember speaking to the graduating class of medical students at Baylor College of Medicine. After a rousing group discussion over a number of interesting social media dilemmas, one budding orthopod chimed in that he was opting out of a public presence. He was going to stay quietly below the Google radar, he reassured me in front of his classmates. It was one of ... Continue Reading about Google Always Has a First Page About You
Reputation Rescue – How Dr. Ricardo Quarrie Can Repair His Digital Footprint
What caught my eye this week was the case of a young doctor involved in a medical error. Dr. Ricardo Quarrie, a cardiothoracic fellow at Yale New Haven Hospital at the time, was publicly accused of lying to a patient to cover up a surgical mistake. As the case evolved so did the long digital trail associated with his alleged lying. The attorney who made the accusation ... Continue Reading about Reputation Rescue – How Dr. Ricardo Quarrie Can Repair His Digital Footprint
Medical Tests – The More You Order, the More You Explain
I spoke with a young pediatrician recently who complained about her late hours in the office. A lot of calling patients with questions about labs. On cursory review, she seems to do a lot of medical tests. It makes sense. Here’s the math: Two sessions per day of 10-12 children per session and everyone gets a comprehensive metabolic panel (as an example). 48 hours ... Continue Reading about Medical Tests – The More You Order, the More You Explain